I previously scoffed at people who suggested doing this. I figured it'd be a waste and there would be better things to send over than this and it wouldn't be worth the risk to those that did gather it, let alone risk keeping and watching it. Appears I was wrong, but I still disagree on it being done I still think it's a waste to send this over vs. The money or other material let alone being able to even make use of a dvd?

I previously scoffed at people who suggested doing this. I figured it'd be a waste and there would be better things to send over than this and it wouldn't be worth the risk to those that did gather it, let alone risk keeping and watching it. Appears I was wrong, but I still disagree on it being done I still think it's a waste to send this over vs. The money or other material. Hmm...

Don't take offence, but your views do not appear to be well thought out.

I previously scoffed at people who suggested doing this. I figured it'd be a waste and there would be better things to send over than this and it wouldn't be worth the risk to those that did gather it, let alone risk keeping and watching it. Appears I was wrong, but I still disagree on it being done I still think it's a waste to send this over vs. The money or other material. Hmm...

Don't take offence, but your views do not appear to be well thought out.

Non taken, but I still doubt it's as valuable a deliverable as other drops is all I'm meaning. Might even have the opposite effect! But I guess a defector would know better anyway...

Does anyone have a serious, educated answer regarding how many North Koreans have the ability to play USB devices or DVDs? I assume that since a North Korean defector wants to send over these types of media that they must be at least widespread enough to have a potential effect. I realize computers aren't non-existent in North Korea I just have no idea how many people have them.

EDIT: I meant to say "aren't" not "are" in that last sentence. Corrected. Also, thanks for the reply down below

Does anyone have a serious, educated answer regarding how many North Koreans have the ability to play USB devices or DVDs? I assume that since a North Korean defector wants to send over these types of media that they must be at least widespread enough to have a potential effect. I realize computers are non-existent in North Korea I just have no idea how many people have them.

The answer is not many. You have to have government permission to even own a computer, and a computer costs about 3 months wages in North Korea, on average.

A lot of people there have wound up in North Korea's notorious prison camps (which give Auschwitz a run for the money) simply for watching South Korean soap operas (which are very popular in both countries).

Park's idea is incredibly stupid and dangerous. The last time he tried something like this, it sparked a fire fight across the border between North Korea and South Korean troops. Any North Korea caught in possession of this movie, either on DVD or USB, would either be summarily executed or dumped in a prison camp and be dead within 3 years. It would be a death sentence in the most literal of terms. And it wouldn't even matter if the citizen so caught even had a DVD player or computer. Just having it on him or in his home would be enough.

I don't know what the solution to North Korea is. The country is so unstable that if the regime fell, China would probably step in, and the US would probably not get involved because it would risk a war.

Park's idea is incredibly stupid and dangerous. The last time he tried something like this, it sparked a fire fight across the border between North Korea and South Korean troops. Any North Korea caught in possession of this movie, either on DVD or USB, would either be summarily executed or dumped in a prison camp and be dead within 3 years. It would be a death sentence in the most literal of terms. And it wouldn't even matter if the citizen so caught even had a DVD player or computer. Just having it on him or in his home would be enough.

While I personally wouldn't agree with his actions. I don't think you can really blame him for the crazy actions of North Korea. The responsibility is clearly on North Korea if it executes it's people for possessing a movie.We wouldn't blame Google if someone in China gets jailed for accessing their site. Or blame the cartoonist if a bunch of Muslims start burning stuff down because they don't like their cartoon. This feels like a similar strain.

While I personally wouldn't agree with his actions. I don't think you can really blame him for the crazy actions of North Korea. The responsibility is clearly on North Korea if it executes it's people for possessing a movie.

Crazy as he was, at least Kim Jung-Il had a strong respect for the craft of moviemaking. That's probably why he kept kidnapping movie directors to work for him.

I'm curious about how much effect this would have (assuming it was logistically pulled off).

Whenever I read about the North Koreans and the whole Kim "worship" thing, the way I try to understand it is to mentally substitute some sort of religious fundamentalism (since it's something I'm more familiar with in the west). In DPRK, you have these figures who are so revered that it's just taken as a matter of course. All of life is built up in such a way that to most people just trying to live day to day it's considered a given that the Kims are to be worshiped and respected entirely.

Sure, there are probably plenty of people who have their own ideas on the matter (maybe more educated or comfortable or exposed to the rest of the world) but the majority of average citizens just take it for granted. It's repeated through your whole life and reinforced by everyone around you and everyone "above" you in your particular station in life. Refusal to acknowledge the one true leader would be like asking someone raised by generations of bible-belt evangelicals to deny the divinity of Christ or the validity of the bible as the word of God.

Now granted, in the bible belt you might lose your job, be shunned by your neighbors, or denied public office whereas in DPRK you run the risk of being killed or sent to a labor camp. Still, while an imperfect analogy it helps me wrap my head around the whole thing.

Now imagine if some liberal group from California or New York decided to plaster this hypothetical evangelical town with material that depicts Christ in a negative manner or suggests that they should be treated with ridicule for following the religion that's as ingrained into their culture as any Kim cult of personality. Would that make people suddenly "wake up" to the error of their ways and the "truth" about the things they've been told? Or would it make most of them react in defense of their way of life?

I really don't know enough about the real story "on the ground" in DPRK so I can't really guess but if there's one thing I've seen from much less violent and oppressive "culture wars" here in the west it's that after a point, beliefs become more about group identity and solidarity than the actual details of the beliefs would suggest. Going up against that in a productive way is probably not easily done.

Does anyone in North Korea own a DVD player? Also, in which DVD Region is North Korea? I'd hate for someone in NK to get a Region 1 DVD, not be able to play it, and then get sent to some slave labor camp for possessing it.

I agree with Neodorian. The Interview is effective propaganda OUTSIDE of North Korea. The disparity in spending on food vs nukes, death camps, and the other issues that The Interview highlight are things that everyone else outside of North Korea needs to be aware of.

For people inside the country, though, they're indoctrinated like Dark Ages Catholic peasants. Showing their deity sharting and bawling because of an American pop song - when Americans are the ones that came in burning and looting and blowing their country up to the point they're still terrified of us - that isn't the way to do it. It's just going to offend them.

The Interview has a clear call for revolution at the end. Any North Korean who has it is going to be killed. It's the wrong thing to send over the border. It'd be less dangerous to them to send them weapons.

There are computers in North Korea. They might be primitive compared to the ones we have here, and they are rarely allowed to connect to outside networks, but they do exist. You can't run a modern repressive state without them. DVD players also exist, and binge watching Western movies is common

Many people in North Korea do manage to get access to them, and they will watch clandestinely watch movies and other videos. How dangerous is this to the regime? Look at the case of Irina Margareta Nistor. For many in Romania, she was The voice of Chuck Norris. It is in the movies where Romanians were exposed to what the West looked like, and how people behaved. It was here where they learned about the idea of personal liberty and fighting for your rights. Many believe she played a key roll in the revolution which overthrew one of the most repressive dictatorships in Europe.

Many people in North Korea do manage to get access to them, and they will watch clandestinely watch movies and other videos. How dangerous is this to the regime? Look at the case of Irina Margareta Nistor. For many in Romania, she was The voice of Chuck Norris. It is in the movies where Romanians were exposed to what the West looked like, and how people behaved. It was here where they learned about the idea of personal liberty and fighting for your rights. Many believe she played a key roll in the revolution which overthrew one of the most repressive dictatorships in Europe.

Don't underestimate the power to have fun and the power of ideas.

This is the sound that starts revolutions: Chuck Norris talking with a woman's voice!

...said he's partnering with the U.S.-based non-profit Human Rights Foundation, which is financing the making of the DVDs and USB memory sticks of the movie with Korean subtitles.

Provided all 100,000 copies are purchased legitimately, that'd make a nice little bump in the revenue for the film. Otherwise, isn't this just piracy for a cause? I don't see anywhere that says Sony has sanctioned this distribution of their film. I'm hardly on the studios' side with these things, it just seem odd to announce your plan to edit a newly released film (to add subtitles) and distribute it via balloon-net without some buy-in from the IP owner.

"Park grew up in a privileged family in North Korea. After graduating college, he was given a job at the government propaganda office in Pyongyang. He met with other members of the community every Sunday to engage in “self-judgment.”

I'm curious about how much effect this would have (assuming it was logistically pulled off).

Whenever I read about the North Koreans and the whole Kim "worship" thing, the way I try to understand it is to mentally substitute some sort of religious fundamentalism (since it's something I'm more familiar with in the west). In DPRK, you have these figures who are so revered that it's just taken as a matter of course. All of life is built up in such a way that to most people just trying to live day to day it's considered a given that the Kims are to be worshiped and respected entirely.

Sure, there are probably plenty of people who have their own ideas on the matter (maybe more educated or comfortable or exposed to the rest of the world) but the majority of average citizens just take it for granted. It's repeated through your whole life and reinforced by everyone around you and everyone "above" you in your particular station in life. Refusal to acknowledge the one true leader would be like asking someone raised by generations of bible-belt evangelicals to deny the divinity of Christ or the validity of the bible as the word of God.

Now granted, in the bible belt you might lose your job, be shunned by your neighbors, or denied public office whereas in DPRK you run the risk of being killed or sent to a labor camp. Still, while an imperfect analogy it helps me wrap my head around the whole thing.

Now imagine if some liberal group from California or New York decided to plaster this hypothetical evangelical town with material that depicts Christ in a negative manner or suggests that they should be treated with ridicule for following the religion that's as ingrained into their culture as any Kim cult of personality. Would that make people suddenly "wake up" to the error of their ways and the "truth" about the things they've been told? Or would it make most of them react in defense of their way of life?

I really don't know enough about the real story "on the ground" in DPRK so I can't really guess but if there's one thing I've seen from much less violent and oppressive "culture wars" here in the west it's that after a point, beliefs become more about group identity and solidarity than the actual details of the beliefs would suggest. Going up against that in a productive way is probably not easily done.

I was thinking about this from the angle you are and placing myself as a Christian in the same kind of scenario. If suddenly someone landed a balloon in my yard with anti-Christian propaganda, the likes of which I've seen on the internet, all it's going to do is make me feel angry for a short while and completely dismiss it and continue on in the belief system I currently hold (been there done that so I know how it works). Here's the thing: people say we Christians are brain-washed yet much of what I've seen coming from people who don't believe in religion is no less brain-washing (really, being told over and over again I'm delusional isn't a convincing argument--prove to me beyond a shadow of a doubt there is no God and I just might start believing it). Granted, I have more than just brain-washing to cement my beliefs--if I didn't I most likely wouldn't still believe in God and Christ. The point being, though, the movie is satire and none of it can be taken seriously. I don't understand how it would change a North Korean's perspective on their revered leader.

I was thinking about this from the angle you are and placing myself as a Christian in the same kind of scenario. If suddenly someone landed a balloon in my yard with anti-Christian propaganda, the likes of which I've seen on the internet, all it's going to do is make me feel angry for a short while and completely dismiss it and continue on in the belief system I currently hold (been there done that so I know how it works). Here's the thing: people say we Christians are brain-washed yet much of what I've seen coming from people who don't believe in religion is no less brain-washing (really, being told over and over again I'm delusional isn't a convincing argument--prove to me beyond a shadow of a doubt there is no God and I just might start believing it). Granted, I have more than just brain-washing to cement my beliefs--if I didn't I most likely wouldn't still believe in God and Christ. The point being, though, the movie is satire and none of it can be taken seriously. I don't understand how it would change a North Korean's perspective on their revered leader.

I'm sure the North Koreans think the same thing.The only difference is that Kim Jong Un is a real person that people can point at and say 'Why did such and such happen' or in this case 'Why did you let these movies happen if you're all powerful'In your case God has been 'removed' from the equation so when he kills a few million people with a plague or drought or whatever new nasty thing he's cooking up. You can't just walk up and blame him. (Really though I have no idea why not because I certainly would be pretty pissed at my god if he kept trying to kill me but for some reason religious people aren't...)But really is the Interview going to bring down the North Korean regime? No. Will it hurt them? Maybe. Is scattering a bunch of DVD via balloon going to work? I doubt it.

I don't know what the solution to North Korea is. The country is so unstable that if the regime fell, China would probably step in, and the US would probably not get involved because it would risk a war.

South Korea would *legitimately* step in, finally unifying the country. North Korean people are Korean. China has no rights in Korean land, nobody would allow any aggressive action. No other country would side with China in this, not even Russia. It would mean international isolation, that would probably lead to economic sanctions and that's something the Chinese government definitely doesn't want.

February 2014? So Sony knew way ahead that there will be a hack that there will be a pull-out that they will release the film and they knew ahead there will be a baloon drop? Sony knew.

Er, no. Ars interviewed Park in February on a different matter. In the course of that interview, it was determined it would cost $5000 to launch 10 of his "propaganda balloons", regardless of their content.

He's essentially launching similar balloons as he has in the past, only this time with different content (i.e.: "The Interview" DVDs instead of "Die Hard" DVDs). The cost should be the same.

While I personally wouldn't agree with his actions. I don't think you can really blame him for the crazy actions of North Korea. The responsibility is clearly on North Korea if it executes it's people for possessing a movie.We wouldn't blame Google if someone in China gets jailed for accessing their site. Or blame the cartoonist if a bunch of Muslims start burning stuff down because they don't like their cartoon. This feels like a similar strain.

I don't know if you're serious. We're talking about people's lives. You can't hide behind the fact that the North Korean government is crazy. You know it is, so that makes you resolve to play with fire anyway?It's not a matter of what an international judge would put the blame on for those eventual kills, but of moral responsibility for those deaths.

While I personally wouldn't agree with his actions. I don't think you can really blame him for the crazy actions of North Korea. The responsibility is clearly on North Korea if it executes it's people for possessing a movie.We wouldn't blame Google if someone in China gets jailed for accessing their site. Or blame the cartoonist if a bunch of Muslims start burning stuff down because they don't like their cartoon. This feels like a similar strain.

I don't know if you're serious. We're talking about people's lives. You can't hide behind the fact that the North Korean government is crazy. You know it is, so that makes you resolve to play with fire anyway?It's not a matter of what an international judge would put the blame on for those eventual kills, but of moral responsibility for those deaths.

Why? Because the material is trivial? If he included medicine on the balloons that the government disapproved of would that be ok to send? The story clearly noted he sent dollar bills so that they could buy rice; if the government took offense to this an executed someone is that his fault? The moral responsibility is clearly on the executioner; North Korea.

Though since it's known to be dangerous I would agree that he should send something of more value then The Interview. (The Wikipedia articles seemed like a good thing for example) but I refuse to hold him responsible for the actions of a despot toward his own people.

Since the person doing this is himself a defector from North Korea, he certainly knows more about whether this is a good idea than I do. But I have to say, I would be worried for any North Korean person caught in possession of this DVD...

"Park grew up in a privileged family in North Korea. After graduating college, he was given a job at the government propaganda office in Pyongyang.

It's possible the intended audience for his drops are the middle officials, not the peasants. Other than the top party elite, the rest of the populace probably understands their fate is precarious one way or the other, so they might as well hedge their bets and understand the outside world in case things deteriorate rapidly. They just need to be secret about it, and, obviously, very careful. But without outside influence such as this material, they literally have nothing to go on.

Does this guy seriously believe that Democratic People's Republic of Korea has a shortage of anti aircraft guns or shells stationed in gratuitous quantity near its boarder?

Well, since he's done this before AND the balloons have made it over the border during previous attempts, I'm going to say: yes, he does. Although, I guess you could argue that since he's told everyone ahead of time, the DPRK might be on higher alert, but it may be too tough for them to spot/destroy all the balloons with their current tech.

This is a stupid, arrogant, selfish, and dangerous stunt. Very few in North Korea have enough of a comprehension of the outside world to get whatever political "message" is in the movie. And the DPRK government will crackdown viciously on anyone found to be in possession of the movie, with punishments possibly including executions.

If this guy's serious what he ought to do is commission a parody of the ruling class, not Kim himself. Subvert the regime's own cult-of-personality machine, turn that inertia back on itself. His Exalted Supreme Divine Majesty is magical and thus allowed to have nice things, but why do his priests preach poverty while living the good life? Everyone knows that Western influence is all-corrupting so why are my fearless protectors rocking Beemers and chugging Henney?